Rear Adm. George Cockburn

Rear Adm. George Cockburn

Courtesy of the Royal Museums, Greenwich

British Rear Adm. George Cockburn was reviled in America for burning Hampton and other Chesapeake Bay towns during the War of 1812. But he was celebrated in Britain with this post-war painting showing him standing before the flames of Washington, D.C.

British Rear Adm. George Cockburn was reviled in America for burning Hampton and other Chesapeake Bay towns during the War of 1812. But he was celebrated in Britain with this post-war painting showing him standing before the flames of Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of the Royal Museums, Greenwich)

British Rear Adm. George Cockburn was reviled in America for burning Hampton and other Chesapeake Bay towns during the War of 1812. But he was celebrated in Britain with this post-war painting showing him standing before the flames of Washington, D.C.